Sydney Sweeney's team has responded to Hollywood producer Carol Baum for her “shameful” disparagement of the actor, criticizing Baum for not supporting a fellow producer.
Baum recently went public with his bewilderment over the “Euphoria” star’s growing popularity, marked by Sweeney’s roles in “The White Lotus,” “Madame Web” and “Immaculate.” But Baum seemed especially bothered by Sweeney's hit romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's “Much Ado About Nothing,” prompting the production company to survey his film students at the School of the Arts. USC Films on Sweeney's Appeal.
“I saw this unwatchable movie (sorry to the people who love this movie).[this] romantic comedy in which they hate each other,” Baum said during a New York screening of his 1988 film “Dead Ringers” (via Daily Mail). “I told my class: 'Explain this girl to me. She's not pretty, she doesn't know how to act. Why is she so hot?
The producer of “Father of the Bride” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” said none of the students had an answer, but one student asked, “If you could make your movie because [Sweeney] was in it, would you do it?
“I said, 'Well, that's a very good question… it's a very difficult question to answer because we all want to make the movie and who walks away from the green light?' Nobody that I know. Your job is to make the movie,” she said.
The producer's comments quickly spread across the Internet, launching another round of think pieces about the 26-year-old star and her appearance. The Emmy-nominated actress has been the subject of intense discourse since her explicit role in HBO's gritty “Euphoria” and her critically panned role in “Madame Web.” And her starring role in black leather pants in the video for the Rolling Stones' song “Angry” helped introduce “Hackney Diamonds,” the band's first album of original material in 18 years. She has also become a beacon of femininity embraced by the far right following her outstanding performance as host of “Saturday Night Live.” However, Sweeney's team didn't lean much into that, instead lamenting Baum's missed opportunity to support another woman in her cutthroat industry.
“How sad that a woman in a position to share her knowledge and experience would decide to attack another woman,” a spokesperson for Sweeney said in a statement to the Times on Thursday. “If that's what she's learned over her decades in the industry and she thinks it's appropriate to teach it to her students, it's embarrassing.”
“Unfairly discrediting a fellow producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum's character,” the statement said.
Representatives for Baum did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times' request for additional comment. However, the “Creative Prousing” author regretted her comments and told TMZ that she wishes she had never made her original comments and that criticizing an actor in public is generally not her style. She also said that she received hate mail over the incident.
“Immaculate” co-producer Teddy Schwarzman came to Sweeney’s defense Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, writing a glowing testimonial about the horror movie star while also criticizing Baum.
“As producer of #Immaculate, I will let Ms. Baum know that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I have ever worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble,” she said. Producer of Mudbound” and “Imitation Game” tweeted. “I'm not sure why someone who claims to still be a producer would make such horribly ugly comments, but I can assure everyone that Sydney is at least beautiful on the inside. And, of course, a badass Scream Queen.”
On Thursday, the film and television star's former acting coach, Scott Sedita, said TMZ says Sweeney is a well-rounded actress whose career began when she was just a teenager.
“Sydney is beautiful because she has inner depth, intellect, compassion, style and facial features (eyes, smile, cheekbones) that the camera angles capture. The camera loves her look as does the audience. The public loves her because she is approachable and relatable,” she said.
In March, while promoting “Inmaculada,” the actress acknowledged the intense scrutiny she faces and is aware that people have objectified her since she was very young. “I just have to take [it] day after day and continue to be myself,” she said on NBC’s “Today” show. “I think, of course, it's not natural. “I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with all of this.”
“The Handmaid's Tale” actress told Variety earlier this month that she sees how people write and talk about her body, but she “can't allow herself” to react to it.
“People feel connected and free to talk about me however they want, because they think I've given up on my life,” he said. “That I am no longer on a human level, because I am an actor.”
In a recent interview with The Times, Sweeney noted that “nothing in this industry is normal. And I think it's very important to remember that.”
